Sanctuary at Citrus Park Townhomes

Here's my take on Sanctuary at Citrus Park — this is a D.R. Horton townhome community in the Citrus Park corridor of northwest Hillsborough County, and at $425,000 and up, you're paying a noticeable premium compared to what Horton typically charges for their townhomes in Pasco or Polk County. What you're buying here is location. Citrus Park puts you close to the Veteran's Expressway, which makes Tampa International Airport about 15-20 minutes away on a normal day, and you can get downtown Tampa via the Expressway or I-275 without fighting the worst of the I-75 corridor traffic. The Westfield Citrus Park mall is essentially in your backyard, Publix and the standard suburban retail strip are everywhere, and you're within reasonable range of employment along the Rocky Point and Airport Road corridor without living right on top of it. The gated entry, pool, fitness center, and clubhouse are legitimately useful amenities for a townhome community — this setup appeals to buyers who want low-maintenance living without the isolation of a purely residential street. If that's you, the location math makes sense. If you're comparing this to a single-family home in Wesley Chapel or Zephyrhills at a similar price, you're making a different trade entirely — more space and land, longer commute, different lifestyle. With D.R. Horton, here's how negotiation actually works: they almost never move on base price, especially in a selling community with active traffic. Where they flex is on closing cost contributions and sometimes on design center upgrades — if you're financing through their preferred lender, DHI Mortgage, they'll often bundle a closing cost credit into that package. My standard advice applies here: get a competing Loan Estimate from an independent lender before you sign anything, and compare the total cost of the loan, not just the rate. The closing cost credit can look attractive until you realize the rate is a quarter-point higher over 30 years. On lot premiums, Horton typically adds anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000+ for premium positions — in a townhome setting, that usually means end units, units backing to conservation or green space, or anything that isn't directly between two other buildings. End units are worth asking about specifically; they tend to hold value better and feel significantly less compressed day-to-day. The thing to dig into before you go under contract is the HOA. D.R. Horton communities in Hillsborough can run a wide range on monthly fees, and with amenities like a pool, fitness center, and gated entry, you're likely looking at something in the $250-$400/month range — but get the actual number and the full HOA documents before you're emotionally committed to a specific unit. Confirm what's covered: exterior maintenance, roof reserves, landscaping, amenity upkeep — in a townhome community, that breakdown matters a lot. Also check whether there's a CDD fee on top of the HOA, because some Horton communities in this area carry both. On construction timelines, Horton is generally one of the more efficient builders in terms of getting to a close date, but inventory availability and phase timing vary — ask the sales team specifically whether you're buying a completed home, a spec under construction, or going to-be-built, because those are three completely different conversations. If there are no listed incentives right now, don't read into it — Horton adjusts their incentive packages regularly, and a good buyer's agent can help you time it or negotiate the gap.

Barrett Henry, REALTOR®

Broker Associate at REMAX Collective · 23+ years of real estate experience